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With quarterly campaign finance reports due in just a few days, inboxes are loading up with fundraising appeals, including one from Republican candidate for governor Jon Bruning.

Under the subject line “I will be outspent,” Bruning bemoans the deep pockets of rival Pete Ricketts, the scion of AmeriTrade founder and gazillioniare Joe Ricketts.

Chin up, Jon. Whining isn’t the Republican way, and money can’t buy love. Pete Ricketts spent more than $14 million of his own money trying to beat Ben Nelson in the 2006 Senate race and still lost by 12 points.

Besides, it’s not like Ricketts will bombard you with anything new. It’ll be all the old stuff about how you got rich in public office or went easy on your buddies at Nelnet. You did a very nice job of explaining that to Nebraska voters in 2012. Oh, wait. You didn’t. Well, good luck, anyway.

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Speaking of the Ricketts clan, Bloomberg has a good read
about the Ricketts family’s decision to take a page from the Koch brothers playbook by building a network of wealthy supporters for their Ending Spending PAC. Already onboard, according to Bloomberg, is Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire who spent $100 million in 2012 to support a handful of Republican candidates, including presidential aspirant Newt Gingrich. No word yet on which five-star resort the Ricketts will choose to entertain their members.

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U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who sailed to victory after securing the fundraising help of the Ricketts’ political action committee in 2012, was blessed last week with two new grandchildren, Margaret May and Bryan Carl. One twin was born just before midnight and the other was born just after midnight. These lucky kids don’t have to share a birthday. Parents are Adam and Tisha Fischer.